THE UNIVERSITY remains the biggest producer of registered nurses in the country, posting a 99.04-percent passing rate in the recent licensure examinations with 18 Thomasians in the top 10.
UST ranked fourth on the list of top-performing schools, with 411 passers out of 415 examinees, data from the Professional Regulation Commission showed. This was slightly lower than last year’s 99.33 percent, wherein UST ranked third.
Leading the new crop of Thomasian nurses is Jamila Jane Borlagdan who landed on second place with a score of 86.80 percent, together with Mylene Grace Gonzaga of the West Visayas State University-La Paz.
Beverly Anne Belagon of Velez College in Cebu City was in first place.
West Visayas State University-La Paz, Cebu Normal University and University of the Philippines Manila were named top-performing schools after getting perfect passing rates.
“May mga schools na [nakakuha ng] 100 percent, although their graduates are definitely less in number than ours. Pero nandun ‘yung panghihinayang na hindi natin na-[perfect],” said Nursing Dean Susan Maravilla in an interview.
Other Thomasians in the top 10 were Lace Paulyn Rosaroso (86.20 percent) at third place; Shera Lee Aquino and Kathleen Flores (86 percent), fourth; James Thomas Salmon and Jerrica Mae Tan (85.80 percent), fifth; Marian Rose Salazar (85.60 percent), sixth; Calvin Rei Macrohon, Richelle Jane Santos and Gwen Eunice Umali (85.20 percent), eighth; Paula Jean Masangcay, Katrina Sarah Mae Paulino and Joanna Lissa Payuran (85 percent), ninth; and Philipp Enrico Barrameda, Patrick Joseph Baseleres, Jennelyn Guanco, April Jung Bun Lee, and Gemicah Nicole Rojas (84.80 percent), 10th.
Only eight Thomasians made it to the top 10 last year.
Maravilla said the high passing rates were because of students’ academic foundation, not their review sessions.
“Academic-wise, [the students] are prepared because we have prepared them for four years. Hindi naman review ‘yung nagma-matter, it’s their foundation for the past four years. Review is just review,” the dean said.
Thomasian nursing students are given a series of exams in their senior year in preparation for the board exams. An enrichment program is also provided during semestral break. Formal review sessions are conducted after their graduation where students take three sets of examinations.
But Maravilla said lack of motivation may have affected the performance of some students in the board exam.
The national passing rate went down to 42.81 percent, or 16,219 passers out of 37,887 examinees, from last year’s 45.69 percent.
